General Education

The Department of General Education

A great education doesn’t just make you an expert in one area - it gives you a well-rounded knowledge base in a variety of areas. That is why all of Mount Royal’s baccalaureate degree and diploma programs will include General Education, a collection of courses in a range of subjects that will complement studies in your chosen field. As part of your degree, up to 30% of your course load (12 courses) will consist of General Education courses.

Get choosey

Known on campus as Gen Ed, these courses are founded on four thematic clusters giving you a wide variety of subject areas to choose from - everything from forensic science to poetry reading and analysis to global entrepreneurship. Whatever courses you choose, you will gain a number of critically important academic skills, and broaden your knowledge base. The General Education structure has been designed so you can tailor your courses to suit your interests and schedule.

Diversity matters

Why does a wider breadth of knowledge matter?First, expanding your mind is always a positive thing - here is a sampling of reasons:

You will have a stronger, multidisciplinary base to draw from when making decisions in your chosen field.

Today’s workplace is increasingly multidisciplinary - the greater your understanding of different disciplinary aims and methodologies, the better your judgements about which approach or sets of approaches are best.

You may change career directions several times in your working life - lifelong learning and a broad knowledge base can help you make those transitions - and even welcome them.

You may discover a new passion, a new area of interest that you may wish to pursue more deeply.

Of course, you never know where life will take you. A multidisciplinary , well-rounded education means you’ll be better prepared for whatever opportunities come your way and whatever interests you may wish in the present or future to cultivate.

Solid base

The General Education program is organized around four thematic clusters which constitute groups or streams of courses:

Numeracy and Scientific LiteracyThese courses aim to develop an understanding of theoretical and methodological commitments of the natural sciences and mathematics. They cultivate capacities for scientific and mathematical reasoning, demonstrating the principles of evidence and logic upon which the sciences depend. Not only an enumeration of orthodoxies in various disciplines, these courses acknowledge the successes of science and technology as well identifying some of their limitations. See the courses.

Values, Beliefs and IdentityThese courses provide the opportunity to critically explore the values, beliefs and ideas that shape human experience, including understandings and meaning expressed through art, music, literature, philosophy and critical thought. You will also have opportunity to study the various media through which cultural expression takes place. See the courses.

Community and SocietyThrough these courses you will explore the complex intersection of interests and relations that constitute social life - from local community to the globalized network of societies. By studying the interlocking of material, moral, and political factors affecting society at all levels, you will acquire knowledge and skills that help you understand and act in the world in which you are a citizen. See the courses.

CommunicationThese courses focus on the development of an undergraduate level of proficiency in written and oral communication across a range of media. They will help you develop a capacity for critical reflection on various media and their uses. Opportunity for study in languages other than English will be available in this thematic cluster. See the courses.

Contact Us

Mount Royal University is located in the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina, and the Iyarhe Nakoda. The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation.